


Tea With The Incandescent Dragon

by Moonsheen



Series: Lio Fotia Now Rules Promepolis [3]
Category: Promare (2019)
Genre: Accidental Curtains Fic, Accidental power play, Best Revenge is to Live Well, Established Relationship, Gen, Governor Lio, M/M, Negotiations, Older Lio, Oops, Past Kray Foresight/Galo Thymos, Politics, Post-Canon, Promare and Rec, Short, Slice of Life, Tea
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-27
Updated: 2020-02-27
Packaged: 2021-02-28 06:47:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,883
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22929700
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Moonsheen/pseuds/Moonsheen
Summary: One of the downsides of suddenly being in charge of Promepolis is that you have to consult with your predecessor.This is especially awkward when your predecessor's Kray Foresight -- and he's currently serving fourteen life sentences for murder, mayhem, and just generally being an overall prick.Never a dull moment in the life of Lio Fotia.
Relationships: Lio Fotia/Galo Thymos
Series: Lio Fotia Now Rules Promepolis [3]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1648738
Comments: 25
Kudos: 163





	Tea With The Incandescent Dragon

One of the problems with being the new leader of Promepolis:

You had to deal with your predecessor. This was especially awkward when your predecessor was Kray Foresight -- and he was currently serving fourteen life sentences for murder, mayhem, and just generally being an overall prick. 

Okay, that wasn't exactly how they put it during the sentencing. 

“Tea?” asked Kray, amenably.

Lio’s reply came in the form of a long, hard stare. 

“Now, really, Lio Fotia. Do I seem like a poisoner?”

“...Guess that would be too subtle for you,” said Lio. “You like taking credit for your BS.” 

“I’m glad we understand each other,” said Kray, shiningly. 

The cell of the former governor of Promepolis resembled a hotel room more than it did the home of a man now serving fourteen consecutive life sentences. His cooperation during the trials had earned him a small hotel suite with a bedroom, a pair of French doors leading to the office and living room space, a kitchen nook, and a bathroom that could even fit a bathtub along with the shower. Cushier than Kray Foresight deserved -- considering the conditions he’d held the Burnish he’d tortured -- but at least there was a camera in every room, the television was closed circuit only, and he was allowed no internet access. So, at least he couldn’t look at himself on TV to feel better, or whatever it was raging genocidal narcissists did while incarcerated. According to his court-mandated therapists, he tended to bonsai and worked on his memoirs. He’d been well behaved enough they’d let him stock the kitchenette. Lio resolved to have a word with whoever cleared that. When Kray got up to put the water on, he gave stove top a particularly critical eye.

“Oh, don’t worry, it’s purely electric,” said Kray, maneuvering the pot with a practiced grace, even one-handed. He hadn’t replaced his prosthetic. He’d never bothered to even put in the request. He turned on the heat with a voice command. “Promepolis has always prided itself at avoiding open flames in the apartment units. Part of what made us so very hard to burn.” 

“You worked harder at that than I did,” said Lio, the former leader of Mad Burnish. 

Kray ignored that particular jab. 

“Of course, as -- selectman, did they call it? -- that places the city’s safety in your hands now,” said Kray. “I do hope you are up to that responsibility. Have you had any experience in urban planning?”

He returned with a perfect, heart-shaped teabox. It must’ve been a gift from somewhere. He had no living family left, so perhaps Biar, from her own less luxurious cell, or just some former staffer who somehow hadn’t got the memo of him being a mass murdering bastard. 

Lio was relieved to see the tea selection was a basic, dollar store brand. Good. At least Kray didn’t get that luxury.

“I’ve been to college,” said Lio, flatly. “Are you going to tell me the password to the TRITON server, or is this just an excuse to waste the rest of my day?”

“I’m told rosemary is good for concentration,” said Kray, helpfully.

Lio looked him dead in the eye and picked chai. 

The Foresight Foundation had designed most of Promepolis from the ground up, the original city having been almost levelled during The Great Blaze. The result was an amazing, intricate, and masterfully engineered waterway system, a series of underground locks and reservoirs that supplied the municipal water sources as well as the sprinkler systems installed in every skyscraper. Unfortunately, the original schematics of those waterway systems were considered proprietary and stored under a secure server.

The passwords of which belonged to exactly one person, and that person was presently beaming on the other side of the table. 

“You don’t remember, do you,” said Lio.

“Did I say that?”

Lio watched the steam rise from the mugs between them, crossed his arms, and settled in for what was shaping up to be a really long day.

And maybe it would’ve been, but Lio’s phone rang. 

Lio blinked. He’d turned off most of his notifications, but the ringtone was the battle theme from a particularly popular action movie. Shit. Lio’d only assigned that ringtone to exactly one person.

Well, he had promised to keep in touch. That was before a water main on the fourth level down burst and the whole block went into automatic lockdown and they had to figure out how to shut that off so they could get in there and actually fix it. 

Kray raised an eyebrow at the jingle. 

“My, how spirited,” said Kray.

Just for that, Lio swung himself out of his chair and dug the phone out of his coat.

“Hey,” he said, moving as far across the apartment as he could. It provided some illusion of privacy. He reached for the door knob. “I’m at work. I might have to call you--”

The word ‘back’ got drowned out by the shout on the other end.

“LIO FOTIA YOU HAD BETTER PREPARE YOURSELF--”

Lio held the phone away from his ear. The voice filled the room. “Galo--”

“--BECAUSE I JUST FOUND THE MOST PERFECT PLACE ON EARTH FOR YOU. BE GRATEFUL AT MY SKILL!”

Lio was suddenly very aware of the extra set of eyes watching him from the coffee table. “Galo, maybe--”

“Also, the realtor, because seriously, I think you’ll love this--”

Lio hesitated. “She finally found something with the right specs?” 

He could hear the jump on the other end. Galo must’ve been on the street. He might’ve just come back from seeing the place. “Oh, yeah. Would you believe the luck? It’s completely to code! Well, okay, it needs a few more fire extinguishers just to be safe and the fixtures could use some adjustments, but I ain’t a firefighter for nothing, you know? Plus, the location’s peerless. It’s got an excellent view of the park, but it’s nowhere near the treeline, so no worries about crown fires NOT THAT THE PARK IS DESIGNED FOR THAT KIND OF SPREAD. Also it’s close to the Burnish district! Aaaaand you could fit a rescue vehicle around the back for quick evac--”

“Close to the Burnish district? That’s a bit of a commute for you--”

The answer came bellowing out of the speakers. “LIO THERE ARE SOME THINGS THAT ARE BIGGER THAN US.” Then, in more mortal tones: “Also I got a bike, it’s not a big deal. Also the kitchen. The kitchen! You should see the pictures. Have you seen the pictures? I just sent them.”

Lio glanced down at the screen. Sure enough, he had a media message. 

“Huh,” said Lio. “That’s… a lot of counter space.”

“I know, right?!” 

“Galo -- Galo -- how did you find this place?!”

“Persistence and the power of believing in yourself,” said Galo, without missing a beat. “Also it’s a reconstructed warehouse block and the realtor is former Burnish and I thiiiiink kind of knows who we are?” 

Lio rolled his eyes and leaned against the door. “Can’t imagine what tipped her off.” 

“Oh, but it’s really soundproofed, too. So we don’t have to worry about waking up the neighbors or anything! I mean, Miss Megido was always really, really nice about it, but I know you were getting sick of making those ‘hey, sorry we knocked your paintings of the wall’ spanakopitas--”

Lio checked that the phone wasn’t on speaker. Nope. It wasn’t. Galo was just that loud. “--I didn’t mind that much. You know I just do those to blow off steam, right?” 

“Yeah! But still!” He could hear Galo jogging in place, now. “Only catch is we have to sign, like, now. Otherwise this place is gonna go on the market and get snapped right the hell up. So that’s why I was like, I better call him. I better call him right now!” 

“You could have just signed it. I’m fine with whatever.”

“FINE WITH WHATEVER, HE SAYS! BAH! NOT ON MY WATCH!” Lio swore his hair shook with that particular gust of enthusiasm. “You should get to live somewhere you like. This is the FIRST PLACE we’re getting TOGETHER, right? I sent more pictures. See? See?”

Lio scrolled. He whistled.

“I’m game if you are.”

“But do you like it?”

Lio had lived in bombed out warehouses and abandoned buildings for the last thirty years. “I mean, yeah. Looks great.”

“But do you really like it? Does it spark joy?”

“Galo, anywhere with you sparks, like, an inferno of joy,” said Lio. “I’m happy with it. I’m happy you’re happy with it. Tell her we’re good. Start talking price -- uh, it is within budget, right?” 

Lio wasn’t used to having funds that weren’t going towards paramilitary groups or secret desert communes. 

“WHO DO YOU THINK I AM?”

“Right, right,” said Lio. “You’re… weirdly responsible about that kind of thing. But yeah, move on it. Show me more after work. Might be a little late, but I’ll call you once I’m out. You can pick me up.” 

“WOULDN’T MISS IT FOR THE WORLD!” bellowed Galo -- and then, almost sheepishly, his voice lowered by maybe a half octave. “Oh, shoot. Right. You said there was a situation. It’s nothing big, right? Not interrupting something important, am I?” 

“That’s what you say at the start of the conversation, Galo.” But Lio laughed. He couldn’t help it. It was so like Galo, to be so thoughtful after absolutely destroying his eardrum. “It’s just some meetings. It’s boring, but nothing I can’t handle.” 

“You’re not nothing. But don’t hesitate to lean on me if you gotta. I’m here for you.”

“I know.” 

“Liooooo,” caroled Galo. “I love you!” 

“I know.” Lio covered his mouth to hide his smile. “Love you, too. We’ll talk later, all right? Tell me everything, then.”

“This is going to be great.” 

Lio hung up. He looked up. He remembered, all at once, where exactly he was: that hotel suite, under lockdown, with Kray Foresight staring at him over a pair of cooling cups of tea.

Shit. Lio’d totally let his game face drop. Sighing, he shoved his phone back into his coat. Inhaling, he tried to banish the warmth in his face, pushing his hair out of his eyes as he stalked back to the coffee table, where his least favorite lunch companion sat in steely silence. 

“All right,” said Lio, trying to pretend like Galo’s voice couldn’t fill a whole room even when it wasn’t on speaker. “Where were we?”

Kray let out a ragged sigh and pushed an envelope across the table. Lio blinked at it. 

“The cypher for the TRITON password,” said Kray Foresight, in an tight, brittle voice, like ice cracking underfoot. “It’s taken the passage from Ovid. Perseus and Medusa. You’ll want to input it backwards.”

Lio picked up the piece of paper. He turned it over a few times in wonderment.

“Any security tech I need to know about?” 

“No. It’s an irrigation system. Not a weapons stockpile.” 

Lio glanced at the mugs of tea, still untouched on the glossy coffee table. “Didn’t you want to make a day of it?”

“I’ve changed my mind.” Kray breathed out all at once. The hand, still resting on the surface of the coffee table, twitched, just a little bit. “Just go.”

**Author's Note:**

> As always, thanks to Chira for letting me borrow her Galo.


End file.
